Sean Connery says no to James Bond's 50th anniversary

"James Bond" movie bosses were left disappointed after veteran actor Sean Connery declined an invitation to the 50th anniversary celebrations of the superspy series next year.

The Scottish star was the first ever actor to portray the suave British secret agent '007' in 1962 film "Dr No", and went on to play James Bond seven times.

The series is set to return to the big screen with Daniel Craig playing 007 agent for the third time. The release of the new film will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the franchise.

The bosses at MGM studio are planning to mark the milestone with a special event in which all former Bonds talk about their dealings with the character, aceshowbiz.com reports.

Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby and Roger Moore are all in talks to be part of the celebrations, but Connery has snubbed the organisers.

"Not having Sean would be a sad thing for these celebrations. We hope he will change his mind," a source said.

Sean Connery statue unveiled in Estonia

A statue of Oscar-winning actor Sean Connery has been erected in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.

The James Bond star was honoured with the bust which was placed outside the whiskey-sampling Scottish Club. The venue is known to celebrate "Scots who have made a difference".

The sculpture was crafted by Tiiu Kirsipuu and cost £9,330 to build. It was funded by private donations, according to WENN.

British Ambassador Peter Carter announced to guests at the unveiling: "Sir Sean Connery is, without a doubt, an icon. He is variously known as James Bond or the sexiest man of the century.

"He's a great British actor, a great Scot actor and a great symbol for Scotland."